Student Leaders
Empowering tomorrow’s leaders
Each year Burnside High School appoints new student leaders in a number of positions throughout the school. These students guide the younger generations and lead by example. Becoming a student leader at Burnside High School is a coveted position and is a wonderful opportunity to gain experience in a leadership capacity.
Leadership opportunities take many forms at Burnside High School.
Heads of School
Each year our senior leadership team appoints our Heads of School. These students work alongside staff to embed our vision and values throughout the school and lead our student body by their exemplary academic, social, creative and sporting performances.
Head Students 2026: Ruby Keith and Alex Gibson
Deputy Head Students 2026: Jess Williams and Minjun Cho
School Council
Our Student Council plays an important role in representing the student body and acting as a link between students and our staff.
The student council serves as the voice of students, representing their concerns, ideas and opinions to our senior leadership team. Our Student Council is there to gather information from fellow students and bring it to meetings to discuss issues that matter to the student body. Items have previously included school policies, events, fostering inclusivity or any concerns about school life. The Council also helps to organise awareness campaigns on important social or environmental issues, such as mental health, sustainability or anti-bullying.
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Most recently the student body raised the issue of slow wifi within the school. Senior leadership then acted on this request and has significantly improved the wifi connectivity with the support of the Waddell Foundation.
Serving on the student council provides students with the opportunity to develop leadership, communication and organisational skills. This can help them grow as leaders within the school and wider community.
The student council at Burnside High School is a great opportunity for students to become more actively involved in their school community and develop a sense of responsibility, leadership, and teamwork.
Board Representative
The Burnside High School Board welcomes the inclusion of a student representative as a member of the Board each year. The student representative is there to provide the Board with a student perspective on strategic matters pertaining to the school.
The student body elected representative is Mr Minjun Cho.
Divisional Prefects
Each division at Burnside has twenty prefects, who are all in year 12. The divisional prefects play an important leadership role within the school and are responsible for mentoring and fostering a positive school culture. Each divisional prefect acts as a liaison between students and their divisional leadership. They represent the student body concerns, provide feedback and ensure that the students’ voices are heard.
As student leaders, divisional prefects help promote the values and positive culture of Burnside High School. This can include encouraging respect, inclusion, and a sense of pride in the school. They may help with anti-bullying campaigns, student wellbeing initiatives, or any other activities that align with the school’s values.
Form Class Leaders
In term one, each year, form teachers work with students in years nine to eleven to choose Form Class Leaders. Each form class has four leaders who each have individual responsibilities in the following areas:
Blue Badge: Social and communication
Red Badge: Sports
Arts Badge: Purple
Values Badge: Orange
Each of the student leaders then works throughout the year to encourage participation and collaboration in their area, or across the school, to foster and enhance the school culture. Form class leaders often go on to become divisional prefects and heads of school as they join years 12 and 13.
Other opportunities
Burnside also has other opportunities where students can join the Sustainability Council, Environment Group or undertake leadership roles by becoming Academic, Arts, International, Pasifika or Wellbeing leaders. Burnside also has thriving Sports Council, Tech Crew and Library teams alongside Staff and Y9 and Y10 Student Support Prefects.
